I admit I am shallow. Joe the Plumber just seems too easy. He was the star of last night's debate. Joe is based on a real individual Obama met while going door to door. The candidates disagree about which of them will help Joe. Joe represents "Everyman". He is the hard working American tradesman. He has skills that we all appreciate when we need him (or her?). I have never met a female plumber but I reckon there are some.Joe's union job is probably safe from export. When you toilet overflows or the pipes freeze at 5 am on Saturday, someone in India cannot rescue you. Thank God for Joe the plumber. Too bad there aren't more good paying jobs for skilled laborers in America.
For years Jon fixed and refixed a leaky connector in our shower. He would take it apart and replace the washer, tighten it up and it would be good for another year. Two decades of this and he finally could not fix a constant drip from the faucet over the bathtub. That can add up to a lot of wasted water and he called a plumber. The plumber replaced a part and the problem was solved. It doesn't leak. For the house call and 20 min. of work the bill was over $200. We were glad he could fix it without tearing up the tiled wall. We paid the plumber as soon as he finished.
$200 for a brief visit. Another plumber housecall was $150 for a pipe problem. I am glad they can fix it. I just wonder if using a skilled plumber as an example of the average "joe" was a good choice. I think his salary is above average for labor.
Now how do you go about getting that plumbers licence?
No comments:
Post a Comment